


Day 177

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [176]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:53:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24934828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [176]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 2





	Day 177

Anders sat with the new leaders of the resistance. Keenan still maintained his place as the nominal head but it was clear he danced to the resolutionists’s tune. Vamen sat to the man’s right and Kennan would look to the older elf before speaking.

“We have made great progress these past two months,” Keenan said. “Although our attempt on Meredith’s life failed, we did succeed in making her paranoid and even more irrational than usual.”

“Which is making life harder for the mages still in the circle,” Anders interjected.

“Of course that is a consideration,” Vamen said, “but it cannot be our only consideration. Our end goal is an end to the circles, and there is only so much worse things can get there.”

“We are also seeing the templar order itself begin to fracture,” Keenan continued. “Members are starting to speak out against the Knight Commander.”

“Which is something we need to capitalize on,” Vamen said. “Unfortunately, with the death of Tarohne and the destruction of her collection of books-” he looked at Anders pointedly. Anders said nothing. He had not been there when Hawke had hunted down the tombes, one by one, but an ancient demon had attacked him when the last book was burned. As far as Anders was concerned, the world was better off without them.

“We have lost some of the knowledge of how to secretly force possession on templars and other non-mages,” Vamen finished

Are they contemplating attempting such a thing? To imprison a spirit, unwillingly in a host is unjust. It will end up killing both. 

“This is not a thing we should be attempting,” Anders said. “The templars maintain the support of the people by portraying us as demon worshiping bloodmages. We gain nothing by proving them right.”

“It had been a thousand years,” Vamen snapped. “If this fight was one that could be won by being ‘obedient mages’ we would have succeeded long ago.”

“Anders, you have never been one to shy away from getting your hands dirty before,” Keenan said.

“Dirty, yes,” Anders agreed, “but not bloody. The Fade is home to many spirits who might help us, but if we go down this path we will find naught but Rage and Pride.”.

“Anders makes some good points,” Vamen said, though his indifferent tone suggested he believed otherwise. “Perhaps we might put this matter to a vote.”

Anders almost stormed out then and there. Vamen had stacked the council with his underlings who would vote whatever way he told them to. Anders went through the motions on the off chance his people were not as loyal as he believed, but sure enough, Anders was the only one to oppose the motion.

He stayed just long enough to hear out the first stage of their plan, they didn’t ask him to participate and he didn’t offer. Anders left the meeting knowing that he had to oppose this madness. The Spirits of the Fade deserved respect, not to be used as pawns in their power games. There were plenty of mundane ways to sow discord in the templar ranks.

Anders knew he could not oppose them on his own, he needed help. He couldn’t go to the templars, they would just charge in slaughtering and then tighten their restrictions. Hawke would be in, Varric too, Aveline would act to protect the city but she might insist on involving the templars. But Without her who would stand in the front ranks. He would have to make a decision soon lest the resolutionists enact their plan.


End file.
